Turkey breeder, workers face animal cruelty charges

KITCHENER — Hybrid Turkeys, a huge Kitchener-based turkey breeder, and five of its employees face a total of 11 animal cruelty charges after an undercover video caught workers allegedly abusing birds.

The charges, announced Thursday, were laid by the Ontario Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.

"This is the first time in Canadian history that an undercover investigation by an animal protection group has led to animal cruelty charges," said Anna Pippus, director of legal advocacy for Mercy for Animals Canada.

"Mercy for Animals Canada praises law enforcement for pursuing justice on behalf of these tortured and neglected birds who were beaten, thrown, kicked and left to suffer with gaping, rotting wounds."

The video was shot at a Hybrid farm in Bright, Ont., by Pippus's Toronto-based animal rights group. It shows workers trying to euthanize turkeys by clubbing, kicking and swinging a shovel at them.

• Four counts of causing distress by killing an animal in a manner that caused suffering;

• Three counts of permitting distress;

• Two counts of failing to kill an animal by a method that is humane and minimizes pain and distress;

• One count of failing to provide adequate and appropriate medical attention;

• One count of failing to provide care necessary for animals' general welfare.

"Penalties under the Ontario SPCA Act can range up to two years imprisonment," said Scott Sylvia, an inspector with the agency's investigations section. "For organizations, it can be a total of $60,000 in fines."

The investigation, conducted jointly with the OPP, was sparked by the video that surfaced in March. The video was shot by a Mercy for Animals staffer who got a job as an egg gatherer.

Pippus said if it wasn't for her group's video, "this abuse would have gone on undetected and unaddressed."

"Unfortunately, there are few laws that protect turkeys and other farmed animals from even the most egregious abuses on factory farms," she said. "This case graphically illustrates the need to strengthen laws to protect farmed animals."

When the video appeared, Hybrid suspended four employees and later fired one of them.

"Hybrid has zero tolerance for animal abuse," David Libertini, managing director of Hybrid Turkeys, said at the time. "As soon as we reviewed the video, we suspended the four employees involved."

Hybrid, owned by Netherlands-based Hendrix Genetics, is one of the world's largest turkey breeders. It has 200 employees, 50 barns and 11 farms. The company produces about 60 per cent of the 21 million turkeys raised and killed for food each year in Canada.

The company says it has strict official guidelines for employees.

Pippus said the video shows managers doing nothing to stop turkeys from being abused.